The invention relates to a device for releasably securing a substantially rectangular debris holding tray to a glass or dish rack, wherein the debris holding tray has four substantially vertical side walls and a bottom made from temperature resistant, impact resistant rubberized materials. The bottom may be smooth or ribbed to prevent wave motion.
Restaurants have needed an efficient, preferably one-step, method for removing dirty glasses, cups, silverware, pots or dishes from the dining area and inserting the glasses or dishes in an automatic industrial dishwasher. This invention provides a mechanism for attaching a debris holding tray to a conventional glass or dish rack that allows secure attachment of the tray to the glass or dish rack, and in some embodiments, also provides a mechanism for carrying the tray with the rack disposed over the tray.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a plurality of easily detachable devices for securing a debris holding tray to a conventional glass, dish, silverware, or pot rack for a dishwasher. The devices for attaching the debris holding tray to the rack are preferably impact resistant, and easily replaceable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for attaching a debris holding tray to a glass or dish rack which can be placed around the rack and tray at a plurality of positions.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for both securing a debris holding tray to a glass or dish rack and for carrying the debris holding tray with the glass or dish rack disposed over the debris holding tray.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive device of simple construction with a minimum number of parts for securing a glass or dish rack to a debris holding tray.
In one embodiment of the invention, the device has a resilient member connected to and extending from the debris holding tray. The resilient member is preferably disposed on a side wall of the debris holding tray. The resilient member has a dog, or projection, for engaging the glass, dish, silverware or pot rack. The dog has a first latch face for selectively engaging a side of the rack. Alternatively, the dog includes a first latch face and a second latch face for selectively receiving a portion of a pole for disengaging the rack from the tray. The pole can be fastened or fixed to a frame over which the entire tray can be placed. A plurality of resilient members can be used to secure the tray to the rack. Similarly, a plurality of poles can be used for disengaging the rack from the tray.
Once the first latch face of the resilient member is engaged with the glass rack, the debris holding tray can be quickly and easily disengaged from the rack by sliding the resilient member of the debris holding tray over the vertical pole. The vertical pole engages with the second latch face of the resilient member, and, as the tray is pushed downward, the resilient member is pushed downward over the pole. The first latch face of the resilient member is pulled away from engagement with the rack as a result of engagement with the vertical pole. Once the resilient member is disengaged from the rack, the rack can be easily separated from the tray and lifted off the tray for placement in a dishwasher.
The resilient member of the above-identified embodiment may be non-integral or integral with the debris holding tray. Further, the resilient member may be adjustable in length so that it may attach to any size glass rack. The resilient member may extend from the tray and fasten over the top of the rack or alternatively, fasten in another aperture in the side of the rack. The aperture can serve as a handle for the rack and can be centrally disposed in the side wall of the rack.
In another embodiment, the device may have at least two resilient members integral with and extending from opposite side walls of the debris holding tray. In this embodiment, the resilient members each have a dog or projection for engaging the glass or dish rack. The dog or projection comprises a first latch face with means for engaging a side of the glass or dish rack. The dog also comprises a handle portion. The handle portion provides means for disengaging the dog from the glass or dish rack. Additionally, the handle portion may provide means for carrying the debris holding tray while the glass or dish rack is disposed over the liquid holding tray, but it is not requisite that the handle portion perform both tasks. The resilient members of this embodiment may be integral or alternatively, non-integral with the debris holding tray, so that the members can be adjustable, in order to correspond to different sizes of conventional glass or dish racks.
Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a detachable device for releasably securing a debris holding tray to a glass or dish rack, wherein the tray comprises four substantially vertical side walls with an outwardly extending lip disposed around the perimeter of the side walls. The side walls and bottom are made of temperature resistant, impact resistant rubberized material and the bottom further has a corrugated construction. The device includes a clip which has a handle portion preferably integral with a body portion. The body portion of the clip has a substantially C-shape. A top member of the body portion has a first latch face and means for fitting against a portion of the glass or dish rack, preferably the top of the glass rack. A side member of the body portion extends from the top member to a bottom member of the clip. The bottom member has a second latch face for fitting against the lip portion of the debris holding tray. The handle portion of the clip extends outwardly from the body portion of the clip, in a direction opposite from the debris holding tray. The handle portion can be used to carry the debris holding tray with a glass or dish rack disposed on top of the debris holding tray. Alternatively, the handle portion can be used simply as a release mechanism for detaching the attaching means of the tray from the rack.
In yet another embodiment, the invention relates to a device for releasably securing a debris holding tray to a glass or dish rack. The tray has four substantially vertical side walls, with an outwardly extending lip disposed around the perimeter of the side walls, and a bottom. The bottom may be smooth, or alternatively, corrugated to prevent wave motion when the debris holding tray contains liquid. The device of this embodiment includes a clip made from resilient material with a handle portion. The handle portion is connected to an L-shaped body portion and can be integral or non-integral with the body portion. The body portion has a side member for removably securing the side member to the glass or dish rack, for instance, by a bolt assembly. The clip has a bottom member with a latch face for fitting against a portion of the debris holding tray. The handle portion of the clip permits carrying of the debris holding tray with the glass or dish rack disposed on top of the debris holding tray.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the detachable device comprises an elongated attaching means for securing the glass or dish rack to the debris holding tray. This attaching means has at least two members wherein a first member is secured at one end to a first vertical side wall of the tray and a second member is secured at one end to a second vertical side wall opposite the first vertical side wall of the tray. The nonsecured ends of the first and second members of the attaching means can then be secured together around the rack, thereby fastening the rack securely to the tray. The length of the attaching means can be adjusted to compensate for different sizes of racks. The attaching means of this embodiment may be flexible or alternatively, have a rigid character.
A further embodiment of the instant invention involves a device for securing the glass or dish rack to the debris holding tray with a shaft. The shaft may be spring-loaded and disposed within an upper portion of a side wall of the debris holding tray. A knob is disposed at one end of the shaft and a securing member is disposed at the other end of the shaft. The securing member can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the shaft, particularly between two diametrically opposed positions. At one position, the securing member engages the glass or dish rack and fastens the rack to the tray. At a second position diametrically opposite from the first position, the member is not engaged with the rack so that the rack can be easily lifted off the tray. In operation, the debris holding tray is disposed with the securing member of the device located within the interior side walls of the tray and disposed flush against the walls. The glass or dish rack can then be placed over the tray and the device pushed so as to engage with the wall of the glass or dish rack. The knob on the device can then be rotated, so that the securing member engages the rack.
Another embodiment of the present invention involves a tray with an outwardly oriented lip formed of impact resistant material and disposed on a portion of the side walls of the tray furthest from the bottom of the tray. The lip of the tray slides within an inwardly oriented C-shaped, impact resistant extension to engage the bottom of a glass or dish rack and thereby secure the tray to the glass or dish rack without any additional attaching means. Alternatively, the tray may have a groove disposed on the side walls of the tray and the glass or dish rack may have a C-shaped projection for engaging with the groove disposed in the side walls of the tray.
The invention described above can also be used to secure a wire dish rack to the debris holding tray.
For other objects and advantages of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.